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Le he dicho a mis amistades que The Last Dance es must-see TV . Eso es indiscutible. Aborda el último año de los Bulls de Chicago y Michael Jordan en 1998 antes de que se desintegrara la emblemática dinastía del basketball en los noventas. No obstante yo me encuentro dentro de la minoría que no disfruta del documental.  La semana pasada me topé un artículo en que mencionan que el documentalista Ken Burns se lanza contra The Last Dance porque no es buen periodismo. Como documental debería serlo. ¿O es un infomercial? La crítica que yo hago de mi parte a The Last Dance es que es muy fragmentario. Va de un momento y se retrotrae en el tiempo. ¿La mención de Kobe? Es breve. Al inicio del capítulo 5 cuando abre con el "In loving memory of Kobe Bryant" parece dar la expectativa de que se concentrarán en Kobe durante el capítulo. Eso no pasa.  También el documental aborda "valientemente" el gusto de Jordan por las apuestas. No su problema de apuestas, sino su gusto. No se

Annihilation me atrapó de inicio por la relación de los actores Natalie Portman y Oscar Isaac. Luego fue tomando forma el hecho de que es una película de ciencia ficción. Tiene un tono disparejo en el uso de recursos CGI y es ahí donde el espectador le puede perder un poco de respeto a la cinta. Pero es un sólido título dentro de serie B de pelis de ciencia ficción.  Al investigar sobre esta película para hacerles este breve comentario, me doy cuenta que fue una película de culto en su momento. Aunque también por su momento histórico, prefiero Arrival .  Links:  Annihilation is the most thoughtful science fiction movie since Arrival  |  The Best Theories About Annihilation's Wild Ending

Alimento para el alma: The British Museum Collection Online makes millions of objects accessible to the citizens of the world, wherever they might be. Whether you are a student, an artist, a scholar or are a lover of history and culture, this is an unparalleled resource to explore the richness, diversity and complexity of human history contained in the British Museum’s collection. It is also a platform where we can share the latest knowledge and research. We are delighted to be able to unveil this major revamp early, and hope that these important objects can provide inspiration, reflection or even just quiet moments of distraction during this difficult time. Link:  The British Museum Puts 1.9 Million Images Online for Public Use

Hay una aparente contradicción: de acuerdo a  las teorías cosmológicas más aceptadas, el Universo que conocemos tiene una edad de 13 mil millones de años. El "espacio" conocible abarca 40 mil años luz. Alongside early dark energy, theorists have put forward other exotic forms of dark energy — such as quintessence and phantom dark energy — that also change as the universe ages. While these extensions to the standard model relieve the Hubble tension, they are regarded by many cosmologists as fine-tuned — opportune mathematical additions that have no clear justification. Link:  What Might Be Speeding Up the Universe’s Expansion?

Es la primera vez en muchos años que me digno a escuchar algo de banda. Descubro que es más una balada.

(Actualización: Ahora en video) Kevin Kelly es una figura venerada en el Internet. Considerado un filósofo, también fue editor fundador de la revista Wired. Con motivo de su cumpleaños 68, publicó una serie de 68 consejos para la vida.  When you are young spend at least 6 months to one year living as poor as you can, owning as little as you possibly can, eating beans and rice in a tiny room or tent, to experience what your “worst” lifestyle might be. That way any time you have to risk something in the future you won’t be afraid of the worst case scenario. Vale la pena consultar la variedad de ideas. También el consejo de no iniciar una guerra en Asia continental es indispensable para la vida. Link:  68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

Al inicio de la cuarentena, uno de mis planes era sobrellevarla fumando. Pero entendí que de enfermarme de coronavirus, sería contraproducente el hábito de la nicotina.  Al parecer hay una línea de investigación que indica que la nicotina podría tener efectos antiinflamatorios y evitar la "tormenta de citocinas" (citoquinas). While no conclusions can yet be drawn,  Konstantinos  Farsalinos' prevailing hypothesis is essentially that nicotine has certain anti-inflammatory effects. The most severe COVID-19 symptoms seem to come from an overreaction of the body's immune system known as a "cytokine storm." During that storm, the immune system targets an infection, say in the lungs, and they can become inflamed, leading to difficulty breathing. Nicotine, Farsalinos reasons, might be able to at least lessen that intensity. Link:  Why Are Smokers Being Hospitalized Less Often From Coronavirus?

What is going on? How can it be that stocks are soaring when the economy is crashing? Link:  Stocks Are Recovering While the Economy Collapses. That Makes More Sense Than You'd Think

Pero la suciedad del Hotel Sagitario es la menor preocupación de Paloma y las mujeres que por necesidad o porque están secuestradas deben trabajar ahí. En marzo, cuando la Organización Mundial de la Salud declaró al COVID-19 como pandemia, vio lo que sus ojos no habían visto en 26 años: los padrotes más famosos de la región, las leyendas que han hecho negocios millonarios en el extranjero con cuerpos ajenos, regresaban masivamente a Tlaxcala para pasar la crisis sanitaria en sus pueblos y con sus familias. Pero no llegaron solos: varios volvieron con las mujeres que mantenían como esclavas sexuales fuera de México para ponerlas “a trabajar” mientras durara la pandemia, seguros de que en Estados Unidos su negocio se paralizaría y que su influencia en los gobiernos municipales de Tlaxcala les pondría a salvo de operativos y les permitiría tener abiertos sus hoteles. La extrañeza se volvió angustia cuando Paloma preguntó a una veterana de la Vía Corta de qué parte del extranjero volvían l

“The world would end neither with a bang nor a whimper, but with a push notification,” Mark O’Connell, Notes From An Apocalypse [ Esquire ]

This is against our nature: We are meant to be together. Blending voices in worship and clinking glasses in taverns. Line dancing at weddings and standing in line at wakes. High-fiving at ballgames, applauding shamelessly at school concerts, moving as one in packed subways lurching forward. But a contagious virus, able to transmit death through touch and breath, has forced us to suppress our social tendencies. So we shelter in place — maybe with family or a friend — not knowing when we will breathe freely again. Not knowing when an unmasking will reveal smiles. It can seem as if time itself has been altered. March vanished into April, which is disappearing into May, with not even the day of the week always clear. The rituals by which we normally mark these days — the proms and graduations, the tournaments and parades — have been cancelled or postponed, inviting anxieties to fill the void left by the absence of distraction. Will my family be all right? Will I be all right? When will thi

Nick Cave: “Did you steal ‘Palaces of Montezuma’ from Rising Signs ?” Warren: “Fuck, no!” he says, “I stole it from The Laughing Clowns.” The great beauty of contemporary music, and what gives it its edge and vitality, is its devil-may-care attitude toward appropriation — everybody is grabbing stuff from everybody else, all the time . It’s a feeding frenzy of borrowed ideas that goes toward the advancement of rock music — the great artistic experiment of our era.  Plagiarism is an ugly word. Link: Nick Cave on plagiarism  

Tengo la anécdota de que en la preparatoria mi apodo era Pippen. Ya entonces andaba rapado.  Pero antes del apodo, en la secundaria y antes, me parecía excesivo que todos se querían comparar con Jordan al jugar basquet. "Yo soy Jordan". Esa situación la veía (incluso siendo un niño) como demasiado ridícula. No siento lo mismo por los chavos que se identificaban con Kobe.  Scottie Pippen fue un talentosísimo atleta. Lleno de dones. Sin recompensa. Por medio del documental "The Last Dance" me entero que a lo largo de su primera etapa con los Bulls –la más brillante, la mítica— Pippen sólo tuvo un contrato por 18 millones de dólares.  Pero su don iba más allá de las habilidades físicas. El perfil que le dedican en GQ es esclarecedor.  Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals is the mythic Flu Game in which a seriously ill Jordan somehow still managed to drop 38 points. The portrait I have in mind has another cropping, though. Pippen is at its center, Jordan’s arm hanging limp aro

Fuentes: @cathy746books , @mafiasafia

Durante el fin de semana me enteré del fallecimiento de Amparo Dávila.  Called “extraordinary” by Julio Cortazár and revered by Spanish readers, Dávila made her English debut at 90 with her story collection The Houseguest translated by Audrey Harris and Matt Gleeson. To honor her memory, we make available here her story “Oscar” published in The Houseguest in 2018. Link:  Oscar by Amparo Dávila

La paciente de covid-19 había trabajado por alrededor de 30 años en el hospital al que solicitó su ingreso, el cual le fue negado. Gatewood drove herself to the Beaumont Hospital emergency room in Farmington Hills on March 18, where she requested a test and was sent home. “They said she wasn’t severe enough and that they weren’t going to test her,” said Kaila Corrothers, Gatewood’s only child. “They told her to just go home and rest.” Le faltaban sólo dos años para retirarse y recibir su pensión. Link:  Black Woman Dies From Coronavirus After Being Turned Away 4 Times From Hospital She Worked at for Decades

Esta reseña en The AV Club sobre la temporada final de Homeland me recuerda que todavía en el 2020 seguía activa la serie.  Creo que vi sus primeras dos temporadas y fue todo. Intentaré retomarla. Link:  A tense, riveting Homeland series finale concludes with a preposterous coda

Teatros cerrados, chicas cantando en las calles (luego de que los teatros cerraran)... The news is full of“unprecedented” situations, but Billboard is 126 years old, and we’ve seen it all — including the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed an estimated 675,000 Americans and shut down public gatherings in many big cities for weeks or months. A look at the magazine’s archives shows that the issues facing the entertainment business at the time seem frighteningly familiar. (Back then, Billboard covered it all — Broadway to burlesque, circuses to state fairs.) History may not repeat itself, as the saying goes — but it often rhymes. Link: Billboard's Coverage of 1918 Pandemic Reveals Eerie Similarities

In one study, researchers asked hundreds of people to seek advice on an important work project. Surprisingly, the participants didn’t get the most valuable help, solutions and referrals from their current ties. They got it from their dormant ties — people they hadn’t talked to in at least three years. Like our weak ties, our dormant ties have fresh perspectives from meeting different people and learning different things. But like with our strong ties, we have some shared history. When we’re looking for help, it’s easier to ask someone we used to know than someone we hardly know. Link:  We Don’t Just Need to Connect — We Need to Reconnect

Esto más que llamarsa "fatiga por cuarentena", debería expresarse como hartazgo por cuarentena.  Public health experts say any data showing widespread public resolve or cooperation beginning to wane is noteworthy. Because this is the first U.S. pandemic in 100 years, they don’t know how long people are willing to tolerate cabin fever for the greater good. They say they’re not surprised, however, that a slide occurred in a week that saw the first highly publicized challenges to such orders by protesters and President Trump, who tweeted his support to “liberate” states from shutdowns. The White House also released federal guidelines that week for states seeking to reopen their economies. And a growing number of governors, including in Texas, Minnesota and Vermont, set dates for when they planned to gradually lift restrictions. Pienso en un headline: "Rompe cuarentena por hartazgo" Link:  ‘Quarantine fatigue’: Researchers find more Americans venturing out against coron

In a 1933 lecture Jung went on at length about his views on the Tarot, noting the late Medieval cards are "really the origin of our pack of cards, in which the red and the black symbolize the opposites, and the division of the four—clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts—also belongs to the individual symbolism. They are psychological images, symbols with which one plays, as the unconscious seems to play with its contents.” The cards, said Jung, “combine in certain ways, and the different combinations correspond to the playful development of mankind.” This, too, is how Tarot works—with the added dimension of “symbols, or pictures of symbolical situations.” The images—the hanged man, the tower, the sun—“are sort of archetypal ideas, of a differentiated nature.” Link:  Carl Jung: Tarot Cards Provide Doorways to the Unconscious, and Maybe a Way to Predict the Future

Esta entrevista con Westside Gunn y Virgil Abloh me hace retomar dos ideas: 1) hacer ropa y 2) el uso del clasicismo. Aunque no necesariamente un retorno a las fuentes clásicas, más algo como Renacimiento o Prerrafaelitas.  Veo esta imagen dentro de la entrevista: Pienso que para un libro que escribí tenía la idea de poner como portada esta pintura.  Había una cierta afinidad. Mi ingenuidad era creer entonce que además de escribir el libro podría estar involucrado en el diseño del mismo. Link:  Westside Gunn and Virgil Abloh Talk About Their Shared History, Coming Back from Coronavirus, and Being the “Best in Class”

Este video muestra a un hombre haciendo lagartijas a lo largo de una hora. Es un récord Guinness. Pero al correrlo por un minuto, te das cuenta que no hace correctamente una sola lagartija con el rango de movimiento requerido para una lagartija. 

Visto en mis Saved de Instagram . El Finsta. 

Aunque es poco probable que lean el libro Florence Under Siege: Surviving Plague in an Early Modern City , en el London Review of Books Erin Maglaque escribió sobre la publicación.  From the point of view of the Sanità, the poor were constitutionally incapable of acting in the greater interests of the city. Tracing early cases to understand the spread of the outbreak, Francesco Rondinelli, a contemporary historian of the plague, placed the blame on poor people who had selfishly visited friends and family despite the risk of contagion. He told the story of the wife of a baker who went to nurse her daughter in Trespiano but returned home sick herself, and then spread the plague among her household, resulting in the deaths of seven others. The wife of a builder went to nurse her sick sister. When her sister died, the woman took the shirt she had been wearing at her death and gave it to her daughter. This ‘loving action had cost her dearly’: she, her husband and their daughter all died. In

  Película vista en abril de 2020.

La entrevista aborda el polémico récord de Eliud Kipchoge al romper con la marca de las dos horas para un maratón.  But before the sweat had even dried, there were detractors. Purists pointed to the pace team, his squad of 41 interchanging runners, noting that, as at Monza, they rendered the performance ineligible for a world record. Others questioned Kipchoge's racing shoe: a prototype of Nike's Alphafly Next%. The pair he wore in Monza was itself a variation of the Vaporfly 4%, a shoe that promised 4 percent more efficiency than the next-fastest Nike model at the time. This new, unreleased version offered benefits unknown. Talk of the shoe being banned grew rampant. Afterward, World Athletics, the sport's governing body, decreed that, going forward, in international competitions athletes would have to compete in shoes that had been available to the public for at least four months, among other regulations. Kipchoge's Nikes were legal, but that became the irony of sub-2